Guerrette running for York County DA post

ALFRED, Maine — Jamie Guerrette, an assistant district attorney for York County, said Monday he will seek the Democratic nomination for the office of York County district attorney.

ALFRED, Maine — Jamie Guerrette, an assistant district attorney for York County, said Monday he will seek the Democratic nomination for the office of York County district attorney.

Guerrette will look to fill the seat held by Mark Lawrence, who announced last week he was withdrawing from the race. The York County Democratic Committee must nominate someone to Lawrence on the November ballot. Because Lawrence has been running unopposed, no other party can place a candidate on the ballot.

Guerrette said he's seeking the position because he thinks the district attorney's office needs help.

"I see this as a real opportunity to change some things. If you talk to law enforcement agencies, social service agencies, a lot of people in defense bar, there's a lack of confidence in the office," he said. "And it shouldn't be that way. There's a pool of dedicated and staff in the office, and there's no reason it can't be best in state."

Guerrette graduated from the Maine School of Law in 2001 and began his legal career in the Cumberland County district attorney's office. In October 2004, he joined the Maine attorney general's office, as a prosecutor for the Drug Crimes Task Force, where he worked closely with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and other York County law enforcement agencies.

In May 2008, he began a two-year special assistant position with the Maine U.S. attorney position. In that capacity, Guerrette prosecuted federal drug and gun crimes, and managed a year-long criminal investigation directed by FBI that resulted in the arrest and conviction of 15 defendants in federal court.

In May 2010, Lawrence brought in Guerrette to supervise the newly formed domestic violence prosecutorial team. In this role, Guerrette was charged with implementing a new system of prosecuting domestic violence cases and overseeing the development of guidelines in conjunction with several law enforcement agencies and Caring Unlimited, the victim advocacy group for domestic violence victims in York County.

The district attorney's office received a $400,000 federal grant for that work.

If nominated by the York County Democratic Committee, and subsequently elected in November, Guerrette said he will focus the office's attention and resources on victim-related crimes, and he will conduct an exhaustive review to improve the office's efficiency and working relationship with the various participants in the criminal justice system.

Guerrette resides in Biddeford, Maine, with his wife and three children.

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